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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated The Silver Gun in Books
Apr 18, 2018
Journey Back to 1930’s New York
Lane Sanders has landed a job as the personal assistant to New York City’s mayor Fiorello “Fio” La Guardia in 1936 New York City. She’s enjoying her job even though some days it feels like she is just trying to keep up with her energetic boss as he is on a crusade to clean up the city. One night, at the scene of a fire, Lane receives a warning for her boss. But soon she begins to wonder if there is more to the warning. And is she really a target?
This new series gets off to a promising start. There’s a good mystery here that kept me engaged most of the time and certainly had me turning pages during the suspenseful climax. I did feel the beginning wandered a bit too much, although it did all come into play by the end. Likewise, the ending could have been tighter as it set up the next in the series. The characters, both real and fictional, are a varied bunch and a delight to be around
This new series gets off to a promising start. There’s a good mystery here that kept me engaged most of the time and certainly had me turning pages during the suspenseful climax. I did feel the beginning wandered a bit too much, although it did all come into play by the end. Likewise, the ending could have been tighter as it set up the next in the series. The characters, both real and fictional, are a varied bunch and a delight to be around
The Letters of T. S. Eliot: Volume 5: 1930-1931
Matthew Hollis, Valerie Eliot, T.S. Eliot and John Haffenden
Book
"The book amounts to a comprehensive literary history of the time." (David Sexton, Evening...
Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom
8.0
Rate It
Book
A dual biography of Winston Churchill and George Orwell, who preserved democracy from the threats of...
ClareR (5721 KP) rated So Much Life Left Over in Books
Sep 8, 2018
The aftermath of World War 1 in true de Bernieres style.
Louis de Bernieres has been one of my favourite authors ever since I stumbled across The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts in 1990. As soon as I see that he has a book coming out, I avidly wait until I can buy it, trying to get as much information about the subject matter as I can (yes, I'm a fan-girl). This novel has not disappointed me.
So Much Life Left Over takes us back in to the lives of Rosie and Daniel Pitt after the First World War has come to an end. We go as far as Ceylon, back to London and to Germany in the 1930's. We catch up with all of the characters that we first encountered in The Dust That Falls From Dreams (and if you haven't read that yet, you're seriously missing out), and learn about what happens to Rosie's sisters, parents and those that they have met along the way.
I love the dialogue in this book: it's punchy, quick-witted and emotional. The first of Oily Wragge's chapters (each chapter, when about a different person, is written from their perspective, sometimes in first person, sometimes in third person - but I like this. It seems so personal) haunting, terribly sad and filled with the violence and horror of war and being a prisoner of war.
Daniel and Wragge go to work in Germany, and set up a business with the two fighter pilots that Daniel captured in the war. Here we get a look at the Germany of the early 1930's: the poverty, deprivation, and Hitlers rise to power. Daniel correctly predicts another war.
However, the truly heart wrenching events happen in the last thirty pages or so. I strongly suggest you get your handkerchief ready. The emotion in these last pages is what really makes this a truly stand out book for me (if the rest of the book hadn't already been enough to do that!). The sensitivity in the way that the subject matter is handled, and the emotions that this invokes in the reader is so well done.
I would thoroughly recommend this novel, I so enjoyed it, and I will be looking forward to the last part of this story.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
So Much Life Left Over takes us back in to the lives of Rosie and Daniel Pitt after the First World War has come to an end. We go as far as Ceylon, back to London and to Germany in the 1930's. We catch up with all of the characters that we first encountered in The Dust That Falls From Dreams (and if you haven't read that yet, you're seriously missing out), and learn about what happens to Rosie's sisters, parents and those that they have met along the way.
I love the dialogue in this book: it's punchy, quick-witted and emotional. The first of Oily Wragge's chapters (each chapter, when about a different person, is written from their perspective, sometimes in first person, sometimes in third person - but I like this. It seems so personal) haunting, terribly sad and filled with the violence and horror of war and being a prisoner of war.
Daniel and Wragge go to work in Germany, and set up a business with the two fighter pilots that Daniel captured in the war. Here we get a look at the Germany of the early 1930's: the poverty, deprivation, and Hitlers rise to power. Daniel correctly predicts another war.
However, the truly heart wrenching events happen in the last thirty pages or so. I strongly suggest you get your handkerchief ready. The emotion in these last pages is what really makes this a truly stand out book for me (if the rest of the book hadn't already been enough to do that!). The sensitivity in the way that the subject matter is handled, and the emotions that this invokes in the reader is so well done.
I would thoroughly recommend this novel, I so enjoyed it, and I will be looking forward to the last part of this story.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
PA
Passage Across the Mersey
Book
When Helen Forrester's father went bankrupt in the 1930's, she and her six siblings fell from a...
Adonis: Selected Poems
Adonis and Khaled Mattawa
Book
Born in Syria in 1930, Adonis is one of the most celebrated poets of the Arabic-speaking world. His...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated The Proof of the Pudding in Books
Nov 9, 2023
Of Poison Gardens and Poisonous Dinner Parties
Lady Georgie has hired a new chef from France, and he is a hit in the community. In fact, Georgie’s neighbor, Sir Mortimer Mordred, has hired him to provide the dinner at the end of the open house he is hosting to show off his poison garden. The next morning, a few of the guests are sick, and one dies. Could Georgie’s chef be a poisoner?
As is usual for this series, the book takes a while to set the story in motion, but once it does, I was hooked. Georgie gets a fun new sleuthing partner that I loved. The climax, while a little unconventional, works well for this book and answers all of our questions. It was great to see the series regulars again and see them continue to grow. Meanwhile, the new characters are great. We get some funny scenes and reminders of what was going on in Europe in the 1930’s. While the two are very different in tone, they are balanced perfect. I enjoyed this latest entry in the series, and fans will as well.
As is usual for this series, the book takes a while to set the story in motion, but once it does, I was hooked. Georgie gets a fun new sleuthing partner that I loved. The climax, while a little unconventional, works well for this book and answers all of our questions. It was great to see the series regulars again and see them continue to grow. Meanwhile, the new characters are great. We get some funny scenes and reminders of what was going on in Europe in the 1930’s. While the two are very different in tone, they are balanced perfect. I enjoyed this latest entry in the series, and fans will as well.
ClareR (5721 KP) rated The Paris Library in Books
Mar 2, 2021
The Paris Library tells the story of the occupation of Paris from a different point of view - that of the librarians. Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, books are my favourite things, so it was a pretty safe bet that I’d enjoy this book!
In 1930’s - 1940’s Paris, we follow Odile, a young woman who wants to be a librarian in the American Library. She gets her dream job - much to her parents dismay. She meets and falls in love with a young police officer, but life begins to get much more difficult when the Germans invade France, occupying Paris. Odile’s twin brother is imprisoned in a camp after he is captured on the front, and her Jewish subscribers at the library are forbidden from going there. Odile’s wartime experiences are fascinating to read about, and I really enjoyed these flashbacks.
We also meet Lily in the 1980’s - Odile’s neighbour in the small Montana town that they both live in. They become good friends when Lily decides that she wants to write a school report about France during the Occupation. Odile teaches Lily to speak French, and they share a love of books. Odile becomes a grandmotherly figure in Lily’s life, and I loved the relationship between the two of them.
I found this book so interesting: when I was reading about Lily, I was desperate to know what would happen in the next Paris flashback, and when I was reading about Odile’s Paris, I wanted to know what would happen to Lily in her next section. I would say that this is the sign of a good book!
The Parisian sections weren’t gratuitously violent - in fact the Nazi heading the library department of the invading forces seemed to be a reasonable man. It’s made clear that the characters don’t like the Germans, and we’re told that Jews go missing, but the German’s themselves are very low key. This is about Odile’s experience, and Lily’s life in the 80’s. And the power of books.
The bravery of the Parisian librarians was admirable, especially as they could have been imprisoned or killed if their acts of resistance had ever been revealed.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book - it was a pleasure to read.
In 1930’s - 1940’s Paris, we follow Odile, a young woman who wants to be a librarian in the American Library. She gets her dream job - much to her parents dismay. She meets and falls in love with a young police officer, but life begins to get much more difficult when the Germans invade France, occupying Paris. Odile’s twin brother is imprisoned in a camp after he is captured on the front, and her Jewish subscribers at the library are forbidden from going there. Odile’s wartime experiences are fascinating to read about, and I really enjoyed these flashbacks.
We also meet Lily in the 1980’s - Odile’s neighbour in the small Montana town that they both live in. They become good friends when Lily decides that she wants to write a school report about France during the Occupation. Odile teaches Lily to speak French, and they share a love of books. Odile becomes a grandmotherly figure in Lily’s life, and I loved the relationship between the two of them.
I found this book so interesting: when I was reading about Lily, I was desperate to know what would happen in the next Paris flashback, and when I was reading about Odile’s Paris, I wanted to know what would happen to Lily in her next section. I would say that this is the sign of a good book!
The Parisian sections weren’t gratuitously violent - in fact the Nazi heading the library department of the invading forces seemed to be a reasonable man. It’s made clear that the characters don’t like the Germans, and we’re told that Jews go missing, but the German’s themselves are very low key. This is about Odile’s experience, and Lily’s life in the 80’s. And the power of books.
The bravery of the Parisian librarians was admirable, especially as they could have been imprisoned or killed if their acts of resistance had ever been revealed.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book - it was a pleasure to read.
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) in Movies
Mar 7, 2019
Darker than you might expect...
Contains spoilers, click to show
The first of Walt Disney's historic features was a pleasure to watch. Beautifully animated with deceptively gentle strokes, we are delicately guided through the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale. But this is still a fairy tale and a 1930′s film, made at a time where stories were not so toned down for our children, and a healthy dose of fear and horror was not shied away from.
Snow White is definitely a ditsy princess, so innocent that her counter has to be the personification of pure evil and she certainly is. The Queen, represents some of our darkest emotions, and there is little effort to tone this down, which I liked, a lot. She is evil, driven by her vain jealously to firstly attempt to have Snow White murdered, and then failing that, to poison her into a narcoleptic state and have her buried alive! Is this what you now think of a s Disney film, with a U rating? No, but thanks to this and the following films successes, this is a prized classic and untouchable. I think that this is a true family movie, with as much darkness as there is light, with some great musical numbers, indelible characters and an animation style which is truly timeless.
I mean this is a musical which was made in Technicolor less than ten years after the innovation of sound was introduced to black and white films. This is a film which children feel a part of and don't even compare to black and white's of the same era, which of course, they hate and don't feel are real.
Hats off to Walt, who I must admit, I've never really been a fan of, but I'm working my way through his classics and am liking what I am seeing so far.
Snow White is definitely a ditsy princess, so innocent that her counter has to be the personification of pure evil and she certainly is. The Queen, represents some of our darkest emotions, and there is little effort to tone this down, which I liked, a lot. She is evil, driven by her vain jealously to firstly attempt to have Snow White murdered, and then failing that, to poison her into a narcoleptic state and have her buried alive! Is this what you now think of a s Disney film, with a U rating? No, but thanks to this and the following films successes, this is a prized classic and untouchable. I think that this is a true family movie, with as much darkness as there is light, with some great musical numbers, indelible characters and an animation style which is truly timeless.
I mean this is a musical which was made in Technicolor less than ten years after the innovation of sound was introduced to black and white films. This is a film which children feel a part of and don't even compare to black and white's of the same era, which of course, they hate and don't feel are real.
Hats off to Walt, who I must admit, I've never really been a fan of, but I'm working my way through his classics and am liking what I am seeing so far.
Kristina (502 KP) rated Infinity + One in Books
Dec 7, 2020
Oh my gosh, I absolutely loved this book! I had read Amy's 'Making Faces' and wasn't a big fan, so I was a little apprehensive when I started reading Infinity + One. Thankfully, I'm not the type to base an opinion on one experience, because I would have missed out on the awesomeness that is Bonnie and Clyde. When it started out, I was drawn in by the overwhelming emotions Bonnie felt. Though connecting the infamous Bonnie and Clyde to the current duo is made before we're even introduced to the two, I was immediately curious as to how their story would pan out compared to the 1930's couple. I didn't miss the parallel: where Bonnie and Clyde, circa 1930, had brought death and destruction, Bonnie and Clyde, circa 2014, brought kindness and love. Despite being infuriated that Bonnie refused to contact her family or the police for so long, which only made their situation worse, I started to feel sorry for her, because it seemed like everything she did only screwed things up more. I was enraptured from the beginning, both fearing and longing for the end. I took Clyde's perspective on how their road trip would turn out, especially because the "old" Bonnie and Clyde's death was so central to the story.
**Spoiler Alert**
I'm so happy the ending was the complete opposite of what really happened 80 years ago. All the twists and turns given by the media had me confused and, for the most part, I assumed Bonnie's grandmother was throwing in a few false accusations and even setting things up to make the story more appalling, so I was truly shocked when it was revealed that Hank was behind most of the unexplained charges. My favorite part, though, was when William spoke on the television about his dream of Minnie and Fish. I literally got chills as I read that part. Honestly, if someone had told me something like that happened in reality, I'd accuse them of being a liar or a fool, but for a book (where I can suspend my beliefs), I thought it was perfect.
**Spoiler Alert**
I'm so happy the ending was the complete opposite of what really happened 80 years ago. All the twists and turns given by the media had me confused and, for the most part, I assumed Bonnie's grandmother was throwing in a few false accusations and even setting things up to make the story more appalling, so I was truly shocked when it was revealed that Hank was behind most of the unexplained charges. My favorite part, though, was when William spoke on the television about his dream of Minnie and Fish. I literally got chills as I read that part. Honestly, if someone had told me something like that happened in reality, I'd accuse them of being a liar or a fool, but for a book (where I can suspend my beliefs), I thought it was perfect.